Apparatus for making spherical shot.



PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

A. G. BAKER. APPARATUS FOR MAKING SPHERIGAL SHOT.

APPLICATION FILED APBJB, 1904.

m rA/ssats' UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905,

Application filed April 13, 1904. Serial Na 203,053-

sheet of lead is first out into cubes by aifi suitable cutting apparatus, and the cubes are then ground into spheres by the rolling action of an adjustable piece with a hollow conical plan under surface revolving with a springing up-and-down movement on a spindle, so as to yieldin ly roll the cubes against a stationary conica base with a plain surface, down which surface said cubes as they are being rolled move by gravity and escape into a tray suitably placed to receive them.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating theinvention, Figure 1 is'a sectional view of the grinding apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same. Fig. 3 is a section illustrating the milled and flattened portion of the base-piece enlarged.

There is a cone-shaped stationary basepiece 1 surrounded by a tray or receptacle 25 and placed on or secured to a suitablylocated pedestal 3 or the like. A vertical spindle 4 is secured to the base at its center. About two-thirds, 26, of the upper surface of this base-piece from the spindle downward is slightly flatter than the remaining third, said two-thirds of the upper surface being also slightly milled, the object being to distribute the work, hereinafter described, of rolling the cubes of lead evenly over the whole of said upper surface and to have the corners of the cubes nearly all rolled down on the milled portion with a view to their being made substantially spherical in the lower portion. By making the upper portion of the base-piece'flattcr or, more accurately speaking, of less inclination than the lower portion a gradually-narrowing annular space is formed between the upper portion of the base-piece and the surrounding wall of the capstanpiece. Thus the cubes are gradually reduced in this tapering space and by the time they .have reached the plain portion are in a condition to need only a finishing rolling to form them into perfect spheres. This is accomplished between the parallel walls formed by the plain lower portion of the baseiece and the lower portion of the inner wall the capstan. The material being rolled or operated upon is omitted from Fig. 3 for the purpose 0 showing more clearly the difference in inclination of the parts. There is a shoulder 5" on the spindle at its junction with the base for the purpose of receiving one or more washers 6 for adjustment, as hereinafter described, in accordance with the size of the shot to be made. A piece 7 preferably in the shape of a capstan, has a tubular hole 8 bored vertically through its center to revolve on the collar or washers 6 round the spindle 4*. The upper end of the capstan-piece 7 a is in the shape of a basin 9, forming a hopper to receive the cubes of lead. The upper end 10 of the spindle 4 projects vertically upward above the facing-piece 11 sufiiciently to allow a coiled spring 12 to rest on said facing-piece 11 and be kept in position adjustably by a collar 13 with setscrew 14 therein. The external vertical portion 15 of'the capstan-piece forming the outer surface of the basin is adapted to be re volved by a belt 24 from a convenientlylocated source of power, thus rotating the whole capstan.piece 7 From the bottom 17 a of the basin 9 and externally of and surrounding the central tubular hole 8 cylindrical channels 18 lead downward to the top of the conical surface of the stationary basepiece 1 close to the shoulderfi The re maining external portion 19 of the capstanpiece 7 spreads in a conical shape and is plain internally and is adapted to fit on the conical-shaped base 1 but not closely, being prevented from doing so by the shoulder 5 or the washers 6 thereon and by the coiled spring 12 on the facing-piece 11, which set the gage of the shot to be made. The lower surface 23 of the portion. 19 is plain and is formed so as to leave a space 20 wedgeshaped in cross-section between it and the upper surface 2 of the basepiece 1, the

widest portion of said space 20 being nearest The mouths 21 of the cylinthe spindle. drical channels 18 Where they open onto the cone-shaped base are flared at one side in order to permit of the ready discharge of the lead cubes onto the upper surface 2 of the base-piece 1 A coiled spring 22 is placed on the Washers 6 or on the shoulder 5 so as to afford an up-and-down vertical springing movement to the capstan-piece. This springing movement is assisted by the other coiled spring 12 which surrounds the spindle in the basin before described, so as to rod press the capstan-shaped piece down on the shoulder 5 and this pressure may be adjusted as desired. The object of these springs is to enable the two grinding-faces to pass over the edges of any high parts or corners of the cubes, grinding them without crushing them, but so as to gradually wear them down.

The cold lead in the form of cubes is fed into the basin 9 which, with the rest of the capstan-piece, is rotated by means of the belt 245. The cubes descend by the cylindrical channels 18 to the upper surface of the coneshaped base against which they are rotated and ground by the action of the lower surface 23 of the capstan-piece, being thereby and under the influence of gravity moved downward until they drop out when finished at the lower perimeter of the base-piece 1 into the tray 25 They maybe again put through the same or a second similar grinding operation as frequently as required in order to make the shot as nearly spherical as possible. The shot may then be polished in a rumbler.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus of the class described, consisting of a stationary conical base, a vertical spindle secured thereto, a capstanshaped piece 7 having a central vertical hole therein through which the spindle extends, said piece 7' having a hollow conical portion surrounding the conical base and leaving a space between itself and said base, the upper end of said piece having a hopper formed at the upper end of the piece? said piece having a plurality of passages extending from said hopper to the top of the base-piece, said passages surrounding the central hole, means for rotating said piece and means for adjusting the distance of said piece from the base and for giving it an up-and-down springing motion.

2. An apparatus of the class described, consisting of a conical stationary base, a vertical spindle secured to the top thereof and leaving an annular shoulder at the top of the base-piece, a capstan-shaped piece having a hollow conical end and a hopper formed in its upper end, said piece having also a central piece having also a central hole through which the spindle extends, a coiled spring resting on the shoulder and engaging a lower part of the capstan-piece, an adjustable collar on the upper end of the spindle, a coiled spring held between said collar and the upper part of the capstanpiece, passages leading from the hopper to the top of the base-piece and means for rotating the capstan-piece.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a rotatable hollow member of truncated cone shape and a stationary coacting member also of conoidal shape, said stationary member having an upper milled portion and a lower plain portion, said plain portion being parallel to the inner wall of the rotatable member and said milled portion being inclined with relation to said inner wall whereby a tapering space is formed in which the cubes are gradually reduced prior to receiving their finishing rolling between the parallel walls, substantially as described.

In witness whereofl have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED GEORGE BAKER.

Vitnessesi A. E. PARK, J. R. PARK. 

